It takes an accomplished writer to make such a complex story flow so seamlessly and feel so possible at the same time.I don’t know what I was expecting, but this was the most perfect combination of fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi.A beautiful story about heartache, loss, and second chances..

June is the last Farrow and has decided that it will end with her. Her family is know for this curse of mental illness and she doesn't want to pass it on or her to get it.
Then the hallucinations start she tries to keep it secret but they keep coming and then she sees a door. She doesn't know why the pull to go through it is so strong until she's told to go though it. Then she finds out the Truth behind the family curse. and is it a curse at all.

It has a slow start but once you go through the door everything starts coming together and I couldn't put it down I really enjoyed this book

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me sobbing. I've read and loved other books by Adrienne Young, namely Fable and Namesake, but the tone here was so unexpectedly adult and emotional, and I was floored.

June Farrow has lived a pretty lonely life at her grandmother's quaint farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Farrows are an odd bunch, quirky, unchurched, and with few good friends outside the family. Oh, and they all eventually lose their grip on reality. When June's gran passes away, June is forced to confront the secret she's been keeping from her few close friends: the signs of mental illness that she has looked for her whole life are already affecting her.

With her sense of what's real already fragile, June receives a mysterious letter from her dead grandmother. It contains an impossible photo of her mother, who abandoned baby June in 1989, taken in 1912.

June's investigation into her family's secrets unfolds into an incredible love story that shows how far people will go for their friends, their children, their spouses, their family.

As a woman in my early thirties, I can't understate how much I appreciated that June was a little older than me, mature and settled, but still with room to grow. In a fantasy book market that is swamped with superpowered 17-20 year old protagonists, June felt so much more real to me. She was easy to relate to.

With high emotional stakes and some fantasy elements, this book felt like the Midsummer counterpoint to my annual Halloween re-watch of Practical Magic. It felt like those perfect hazy summertime moments, golden and floral and suspended in time.

I absolutely adored this book and it will definitely be a new favorite! Magical, mysterious, atmospheric, romantic, wholesome. This book was everything I could have asked for and the strong family theme was perfect. I fell in love with June and Eamon and Annie and Gran and Esther and the whole Farrow family. My family has lived in North Carolina for generations as hog, tobacco, wheat, and soybean farmers, so I really loved how central farming and the land was and how all of the old farming practices were brought to life in the story. When the tobacco crop for the season was going downhill and they were talking about how that’s just part of farming, it sounded like my dad talking. I also went to college at Appalachian State in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains, so the mountain setting was so perfect imo and unbeatably atmospheric. I legitimately loved everything about this book and will definitely be reading more from Adrienne Young in the future!!!

This book had an interesting premise but failed to execute it and just ended up being boring.

This book was marketed and categorized as magical realism, mystery, and romance. However, it is actually a romance book with some half-baked magical realism and a rushed mystery. The mystery basically revolves around the fact that the MMC won’t tell her something and the mystery is solved when he tells her. It was a frustrating reading experience because you know that the whole thing could have been solved by 5 minutes of conversation.

Something that frustrated me was how the Farrow curse is literally never explained. In fact, none of the characters even speculate about how this curse came to be. This is especially frustrating because one of June’s main goals is to figure out a way to break the curse. Wouldn’t this naturally lead you to wonder about how the curse came to be in the first place? Except the story absolutely refuses to head in that direction. This self-imposed mental block totally hamstrings the plot because it limits what actions June can take to break the curse. In fact, the story ends with June taking no active role in the breaking of the curse as the actual solution was already fully solved and implemented by Future June before POV June even understands what the curse is.

I did not enjoy how little agency June had throughout the entire book. She is essentially beholden to (and not to mention being manipulated by) a future version of her herself. June falls in love (or arguably back in love) with the MMC entirely by viewing memories of Future June. It is explicitly stated that she is a passive observer in these memories and that she can not change the way that she behaves as the events occur. The entire plot just happens to June, she is just an observer as events unfold around her.

"The Unmaking of June Farrow" is an absolute gem of a novel that captivated me from start to finish. The author's storytelling prowess beautifully unravels a tale of resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of love. The characters are vividly drawn, and the narrative's depth left me emotionally moved. A truly enchanting read that lingers in the heart long after the last page is turned.

Thanks to Adrienne Young, Random House Publishing Group, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

sO FAR SO GOOD, ONCE i FINISH THIS BOOK i WILL COME BACK WITH DETAIL REVIEW
thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending me this book for review.
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I greatly enjoyed this book! It defies genres - it is a mystery, fantasy, romance - but beautifully blends everything into a well-paced, fascinating story. June’s character is strong, and you find yourself rooting for her to unravel the mystery and find herself in the process. The plot is complex, but not so much that it isn’t easy to follow. And the end is satisfying. 5 stars!

THIS BOOK! though it was outside of my usual genre, I am thinking that I might need to pick up more magical realism books in the future because this was incredible and just such an intricate story.

the part I loved most about this novel was the fantastic storytelling. I mean, c'mon, how do authors eve come up with storylines like this?? the level of detail and intricacies within the story were so intriguing and genuinely kept me on my toes throughout as I tried to wrap my hand around the complexities of what was happening.

the time travel aspect was so cool and I really enjoyed the past timeline which we are transported too though I wish we maybe could have seen a bit more of the present-day flashbacks at the beginning or throughout (but also I understand why not given the plot). the mystery of trying to figure everything out was so good too and there were several twists and turns that had me SHOOK as we got further into the story. I got so invested in the storyline that the last few chapters and revelations left me crying because I was so emotionally attached which is always a major feat.

ultimately, this book was so amazing and reminded a lot of weyward by emilia hart which was a 2023 fav of mine! it is the perfect combination of fantastical yet also realistic elements as well as romance and mystery. for fans of magical realism, this is a must read and has inspired me to pick up more books from this genre now :)

final rating: 4.5 stars

This book was unbelievable. Adrienne Young wove an enchanting story that bleeds small town drama. I highly recommend this.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮’𝙨 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨-𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚, 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡.

📍 Read if you like:
• Magical Realism
• Mystery Thrillers
• Small Town
• Love Stories
• Family Bonds
• Time Travel

I really enjoyed Spells For Forgetting by this author so I was very excited to dive into this one. I’m so glad to say I absolutely enjoyed this one almost the same as the previous book.

It did take me a bit to get into, but after a while, I was completely hooked by the story. I absolutely loved the magical realism in this author’s stories. There’s also a mystery in this one, just like the previous book, and I absolutely found myself invested in the story.

I loved the small town of Jasper, North Carolina. It was so interesting reading about the Farrow women and the curse that played in their disappearances. I also enjoyed the time travel aspect of the book. I found myself super fascinated by the legacy of these women.

I always love a multilayered story, and I loved that this one focuses on a mystery with magical realism elements. You also get a strong story within this family bond over generations. There’s also a love story mixed in between. I had a blast listening to the audiobook for this while following along physically, and I can’t wait to dive into more books by this author.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Murder, Death Of Parent, Death, Mental Illness, Abandonment, Sexual Content

A red door with magical qualities sends a young woman back into the past. A well plotted and paced novel. A novel about home, live and family. Not to be missed.

Adrienne Young's second adult novel crafts an atmospheric mystery imbued with speculative elements, navigating the unsettling mysteries surrounding June and her inexplicable episodes, particularly regarding a mysterious door that holds secrets from her past. The story's initial section establishes a small-town ambiance, emphasizing the town's tight-knit dynamics while highlighting the Farrows' outsider status.

As the narrative progresses into the second part, following June's venture through the door, the mystery intensifies as she grapples with unfamiliarity in a strangely familiar world. The atmospheric quality deepens, enveloping readers in the mysteries surrounding this new reality.

These two narrative parts interplay seamlessly, offering continuous intrigue even as initial mysteries are resolved, leading to further enigmas as June continues to explore the implications of stepping through the door. The novel effectively maintains a compelling allure, enticing readers with the desire for answers while contemplating June's decisions regarding her future.

Categorizing this work proves challenging due to its blend of genres. While it includes fantastical elements like the crossing of timelines through the red door, at its core, it's a mystery intertwined with themes of rediscovering love. This complexity might position it within the realms of "General/Literary" or as a "high concept literary novel." Despite its speculative nature, if one were to replace the time travel element with memory loss, it could comfortably fit under the umbrella of general or historical fiction, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the story.

Overall this book was absolutely wonderful and I shall be reading all her adult novels from here on out!

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I've heard a little bit of buzz about it but not much so I went into this completley blind. I was however pleasantly surprised! I had a great time reading this book and I think I would love to read more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of The Unmaking of June Farrow. The mystery and intrigue surrounding the Farrow family kept me turning pages until late into the night. Even though there were pieces I struggled to wrap my mind around (as with most time travel narratives), June's story was satisfying and ultimately quite lovely.

SO much love for this book. It started a little slow, but the way the characters and story unfolded was absolutely beautiful, and I feel like this book is going to stick with me for a long time.

I liked Fable a lot, so I’m not surprised I enjoyed this! I’ve never read anything time travel related before. I loved the premise, and got super excited when June saw the door. And obviously her mom’s disappearance was a cool element.

Ugh, where to even begin with this story!

This was one of the top 10 books I read in 2023 (out of 200 plus books)! Its so freaking fantastic, and so well written, that I just couldn't put it down... I mean, wow!

I love books that have some sort of time traveling/slipping, especially when they are done so differently! I loved ALL the characters, the mystery, the romance, the planning that went into the story! I dont want to give away spoilers, so will leave it all vague... BUT...

YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK... if you read nothing else this year... make sure it is this book!

While time jump books are usually my bread and butter, this one confused me a bit. I loved the love story and the rich descriptions of places, people, and events. However, I do think the author could be a little more clear and less choppy on the way the story took place.

Only Adrienne Young can weave these magical tales in the most splendid way that just suck you in! Every time I read one of her books I’m in awe of the magic that simple oozes out of the pages! A brilliant read and one I highly recommend!